Smithgall Woods State Park, one of the largest state parks in Georgia, is a low-elevation woodlands tract near the tourist town of Helen. Through the center of the park flows Dukes Creek.This hike revolves around Dukes Creek, visiting several waterfalls on tributaries as well as the main show, Dukes Creek Falls. This hike occurred on Saturday, August 8th, 2015. My plan was to hike the Laurel Ridge Trail clockwise, and then follow Tsalaki Trail (a paved road that is closed to vehicles) to several various trails: Wetlands Loop, Martin's Mine Trail, Cathy Ellis Trail, and Ash Creek Trail. After completing all of these trails, I would also head upstream along Dukes Creek and take the Dukes Creek Falls Access Trail to Dukes Creek Falls.

About Me

Mark OlegMy name is Mark,​I am 16 years old, and I've been hiking since 2011. I started by hiking occasionally short trails in the Georgia State Parks, as I live in Atlanta. Then in 2012, I expanded my trips into other states of the Southeast. During the year of 2013, I started hiking more in the National Forests and especially in the Carolinas and Tennessee. My other hobbies include chess, science, meteorology, and music. In fact, I am a weather forecaster with 3 years of experience. I am a student at European School of Music where I learned that music and nature have a lot in common. Listening to good music inspires me to capture nature's beauty on the camera in different aspects that also make me recall many beautiful music pieces that I've heard.